Advertise on podcast: Totally Booked with Zibby

In this special double episode, Zibby Owens talks to author Kate Hash and podcaster Kara Infante about book clubs, the power of community, and how reading can change lives. First up, Kate Hash tells Zibby about her new book The Mother-In-Law Book Club, a story of friendship, unexpected chances, and found family. Kate talks about exploring empathy in this book, how she collects real stories to use in her novels, and the way homes shape both lives and stories. She also shares the power of women getting together for a book club, the reinvention required when starting a new chapter, and what she is working on next. Then, Zibby talks to Kara Infante about her literary podcast Bookish Flights which features reading recommendations, author interviews, and genre-sorted episodes. Kara shares how she went from physical therapist and military wife to podcaster, the rediscovery of her childhood love of reading, and how audiobooks saved her. She also discusses the steps she took to launch the podcast, the show’s most common and most surprising genres, and her advice to anyone wanting to start something similar. Learn more about Kate here https://www.kate-hash.com and Kara here https://www.bookishflights.com/about, and follow both on Instagram @katehashwrites and @bookishflights. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonnie Garmus joins Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Peck & Peck, the story of recent graduate Batter Gray who struggles with what to do with his arts degree after college, only to find himself at a prestigious poetry quarterly in the midst of a secret war between two editors. Bonnie discusses why poetry continues to evade extinction, the themes of theft and dishonesty explored in this book, the plagiarism of AI in writing, the importance of reading, and why she doesn't outline her stories. She also talks about dealing with the weight of expectation after the phenomenal success of Lessons in Chemistry, the question of ownership in literature, her dream to complete an Arctic swim, and how she accepts “killing her darlings” during rewrites. Learn more about Bonnie here https://www.bonniegarmus.com and follow her on Instagram @bonnie_garmus_author. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julie Orringer sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel Luna, Phoenix, Queen, a multiple narrative story about a husband who steals his wife’s novel while she suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s and the people in the orbit of this betrayal. Julie talks about the reason for showing readers a sympathetic version of a character before revealing their moral faults, how writing fiction has given her the control that real life often denies, and the positivity her husband brings in light of his own early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She also shares how the seed of this book started as a short story that didn’t make it into the final novel, her transition from playwright and short story writer to novelist, and the importance of a writing practice for aspiring writers. Learn more about Julie here https://julieorringer.com and follow her on Instagram @jorringer. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maria Shriver and Zibby Owens speak in-person at Zibby’s Bookshop about their life and work inspired by Zibby’s new book Between Chapters and Maria’s poetry collection I Am Maria. Zibby talks about how starting a podcast was a turning point in her life, the fear of unfulfilled dreams at any age, the shame surrounding changing your identity, and her hope that this book helps start the conversation for people going through similar struggles. Maria shares her post-First Lady identity struggles, her commitment to her friends and family, and how faith gets her through. Learn more about Maria Shriver here https://mariashriver.com and follow Maria and Zibby on Instagram @mariashriver and @zibbyowens. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Endocrinologist and longevity expert Dr. Florence Comite joins Zibby Owens to discuss Invincible, her new book that dives deep into genetics, aging, longevity, and reclaiming your health. Dr. Florence Comite talks about how having an identical twin made her realize that genetics wasn’t the only answer, learning about disease in medical school instead of health, how a person’s life tells the story of how their genes will react, and the importance of health security over even financial security. She also shares the experience of testing a GLP-1 on herself twenty years ago, how food noise is actually a survival technique, the importance of quality sleep, why protein is vital before any meal, and the magic of books. Learn more about Dr. Florence Comite here https://florencecomite.com and follow her on Instagram @drflorencecomite. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audrey Niffenegger sits down with Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Life Out of Order, a follow-up to her bestselling book The Time Traveler’s Wife. Audrey discusses how she ended up returning to this story years later, her artistic childhood, the themes of loss and love in her work, and the novel’s exploration of people trying to teach each other. She also shares the biological mechanism to her characters’ time traveling, writing’s attempt to create a tunnel between the mind of the author and reader, and how composition is largely deciding what to leave in versus what to leave out. Learn more about Audrey here https://www.audreyniffenegger.com and follow her on Instagram @aaniffenegger. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Releasing today in honor of the third anniversary of the October 7th attacks, Shai Davidai joins Zibby Owens to discuss his book American Intellectual Antisemitism, the story of how he went from Columbia business professor to accidental activist. Shai shares the shock he experienced regarding Columbia’s reaction to the attacks, what led to his remarks going viral, how hatred starts in the syllabus, and how regaining agency has driven his activism. He also talks about his attempt to separate his public image from the message, how the first version of this book was a letter to his son, and what gives him hope for the future. We are holding everyone in our hearts today. Learn more about Shai here https://www.shaidavidai.com and follow him on Instagram @shaidavidai. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Lewis sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss his new book Blockers, a deep dive into the early days of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency through the lens of six targeted public servants. Michael discusses how the title was inspired by an Elon Musk quote, the fascinating work into fire research that the government made difficult, and why narrative matters. He also shares what actions readers can take, how government and politics are related but not the same, the process of “casting” this book out of the thousands of workers he could have focused on, and the experience of having three of his books turned into movies. Learn more about Michael here https://www.michaellewiswrites.com. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erin Schlozman joins Zibby Owens to discuss her book The Myth of the Perfect Mom, a guide to new motherhood and postpartum that rejects the idea of the perfect mother in place of authenticity, self-compassion, and joy. Erin talks about debunking the aspiration to be perfect, how her experience as a licensed therapist working on an addiction medicine team led her to opening her own private practice, her daughter being born eight weeks early, and launching 4th Trimester Wellness on Instagram. She also shares working through imposter syndrome while writing this book, the importance of transparency, embracing ambition as mothers, what surprised her about the publishing industry, mom guilt, and her hope that readers feel less alone through this book. Learn more about Erin here https://www.erinschlozman.com and follow her on Instagram @erin.schlozman. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hank Phillippi Ryan sits down with Zibby Owens to chat about her new novel Mother Daughter Sister Stranger, a twisty thriller about Eliza’s search for her sister Bea who goes missing on the eleventh anniversary of the plane crash they survived but killed their parents.   Hank talks about how stories shape our lives, family lore, the experience of writing a young character on the cusp of growing up, and why reading the end of a book first teaches her about story construction.  She also recounts growing up as the oldest of five children in rural Indiana, how her books benefit from her long career as a TV crime journalist, the question of ‘what happens after a story’s happy ending?’, and the touching reason she and her husband celebrate the day before their anniversary. Learn more about Hank at https://hankphillippiryan.com and follow her on Instagram @hankpryan.  ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebekah Lowin sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss A Year of Jewish Joy, her new cookbook full of meaningful recipes, homemade crafts, and table guides for the Jewish holidays. Rebekah talks about being inspired by her grandmother, the joy of the Jewish people, her experience working for Martha Stewart in New York City years ago, and how the blog she started in 2019 led to this book. She also shares her experience growing up in Connecticut without a Jewish community, reverence for tradition while making things new, how pressure is part of the joy of hosting, and her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar shop one day. Learn more about Rebekah here https://rebekahlowin.com and follow her on Instagram @rebekahlowin. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Wellington Rollins joins Zibby Owens to discuss her debut novel and Book of the Month Club Pick The Three Graces of Pearl Street, the story of an Italian American grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter who must all live together again after years apart and what that collision stirs up.   Elizabeth talks about the little threads of home she wove into this story, her inspiration from the Roman myth of the three graces, the story’s intentional conversation with The Godfather, and distilling the big energy of her grandmother and great-aunts into her character Graziella.  Elizabeth also shares about growing up in Westchester, her career journey from tech copywriter and travel writer to fiction writing, the impact of having gestational diabetes while pregnant with her daughter, and how living in a small Vermont town gives her the mental space to write.  Follow Elizabeth on Instagram @elizabethwellingtonrollins.  ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newly minted Reese's Book Club pick Meg Mason joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel (and Zibby’s October Book Club pick!) Sophie, Standing There, the story of book lover Sophie Pattison who finds herself living alone and isolated, and how her favorite author provides solace when she needs it most. Meg talks about the surreal success of her first novel, her struggles while trying to write another book, depression after touring, and the moderating mess while interviewing Ann Patchett that inspired Sophie’s story. She also shares how the literary landscape had changed between publishing her first and second books, the temporary but daunting feeling of loneliness, and the authors who have inspired her most. Join Meg and Zibby virtually for Zibby’s October Book Club on October 4, 2026 here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zibbys-book-club-meg-mason-tickets-1994577848036 Learn more about Meg here https://www.megmason.com. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susan Coll sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel Word Salad, a bookish comedy about former economics major Matilda who finds herself working at her hometown bookstore where she must navigate the business of publishing and the people in it. Susan talks about teaching herself to write, structuring each chapter as a scene, the remarkable literary community in Washington, DC, and her endless fascination with the publishing industry. She also shares her own background as a bookseller, the determination that kept her writing after her first novel died on submission, and using different parts of her brain at work versus while writing. Learn more about Susan here https://susancoll.com and follow her on Instagram @susan_keselenko_coll. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fran Hauser joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new book Twenty Minutes is the New Hour, a guide to help women embrace the twenty-minute mindset, reclaim their time, and take small steps towards better productivity.  Fran talks about the techniques she used to launch her bookstore Bedford Books in just eight weeks, how time becomes the enemy of the good, and adding more kairos over chronos in women's lives.  She also dives deeper into setting boundaries around notifications, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, the fear connected to procrastination, email management, and what she feels guilty about.  Learn more about Fran here https://www.franhauser.com/about and follow her on Instagram @fran_hauser. ********* A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook. Listen on Spotify here. Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.